1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a drop access location system and method of installing the same, for horizontal cabling in multi-dwelling unit (MDU) applications.
2. Background
Several hundred million multiple dwelling units (MDUs) exist globally, which are inhabited by about one third of the world's population. Due to the large concentration of tenants in one MDU, Fiber-to-the-X (“FTTX”) deployments to these structures are more cost effective to service providers than deployments to single-family homes. Connecting existing MDUs to the FTTX network can often be difficult. Challenges can include gaining building access, limited distribution space in riser closets, and space for cable routing and management. Specifically, FTTX deployments within existing structures make it difficult to route cables within the walls or floors, or above the ceiling from a central closet or stairwell, to each living unit.
Conventionally, a service provider installs an enclosure (also known as a fiber distribution terminal (FDT)) on each floor, or every few floors, of an MDU. The FDT connects the building riser cable to the horizontal drop cables which run to each living unit on a floor. Drop cables are spliced to the riser cable in the FDT only as service is requested from a tenant in a living unit. These service installations require multiple reentries to the enclosure, putting at risk the security and disruption of service to other tenants on the floor. This process also increases the service provider's capital and operating costs, as this type of connection requires the use of an expensive fusion splice machine and highly skilled labor. Routing and splicing individual drop cables can take an excessive amount of time, delaying the number of subscribers a technician can activate in one day, reducing revenues for the service provider. Alternatively, service providers install home run cabling the full extended length from each living unit in an MDU directly to a fiber distribution hub (FDH) in the building vault, therefore encompassing both the horizontal and riser with a single extended drop cable. This approach creates several challenges, including the necessity of first installing a pathway to manage, protect and hide each of the multiple drop cables. This pathway often includes very large (e.g., 4 inch to 6 inch) pre-fabricated crown molding made of wood or plastic. Many of these pathways, over time, become congested and disorganized, increasing the risk of service disruption due to fiber bends and excessive re-entry.